Recent Posts in dance

March 31, 2015

Shamir's debut album, Ratchet, will be out via XL in May -- maybe you've seen the Times Square billboard? -- and he'll embark on a short East Coast tour in June, including a NYC show at Music Hall of Williamsburg on June 18. Tickets for that show go on sale Friday (4/3) at noon.

For folks on the West Coast, Shamir has shows in LA and San Francisco next week. All tour dates are listed, along with the "Call it Off" video, below...

Legendary rap trio De La Soul haven't released a new album since 2004's The Grind Date (not counting the album two members put out as fictional group First Serve in 2012), but they're finally ready to change that. It's called and the Anonymous Nobody, and the group launched a Kickstarter for it yesterday (3/30), and successfully funded the album in under 24 hours. It's set to feature collaborations with Damon Albarn (who they worked with previously in Gorillaz), 2 Chainz, Little Dragon, David Byrne and more TBA. Plus, they're allowing anyone who pledges at least $7,500 to appear on the album as well. They also talk a little bit about the recording process...

Sampling is basically copying a piece of sound, from one recording, and reusing it to create a new recording. It is how De La has always made music. The sampler is our instrument, but people who copy, and in this case "sample," have also been considered thieves and unoriginal. So, unfortunately a huge part of our career has also been spent fighting off the "sample police."

Enough of those battles! For the new album, we needed a completely new approach, something Hip-Hop hasn't done before. So, here it is: For the first time, we're going to sample ourselves.

Over the last three years, we've hired some of LA's finest studio musicians and recorded them in free-styled, unrehearsed, jam sessions. They played everything from banjo to upright bass, sometimes up to a dozen musicians at once; simply allowing sounds to integrate. We did 90% of these recordings in one of LA's most classic studios, Vox. We chose Vox because we wanted our recordings to have that creamy analog warm mixing board sound that the old records our parent's once played had. With over 200 hours of sounds, and vibes, equal to about 250 to 300 full-length vinyl LPs, it's time that we get to the work.

Here's the interesting part. We are now in the process of going back to that 200+ hours of music, listening, enjoying and discovering those special moments where, musically, something magical happens, where interesting sounds and layers were forgotten, where new sounds can be sampled, looped, chopped, filtered and arranged, freely, without the intrusive presence of publishing politics and the infamous "sample police." What we've done is created our own crates of records; album upon albums to mine and sample from.

Though the album's been successfully funded, you still have 32 days to donate to it and receive exclusive rewards. More details on that here.

They also have dates coming up, including Arts & Crafts' Field Trip Festival in Toronto. Full tour schedule below...

March 26, 2015

British electronic producer James Holden has yet to announce a followup to his great 2013 album, The Inheritors, but while we wait for that, we'll have a chance to see him live this spring. He's going on a tour that's mostly in Europe, but right after he plays Montreal's Mutek festival, James comes to NYC to play Le Poisson Rouge on May 28 with Forma and FIXED DJ JDH. Tickets for that show go on sale Friday (3/27) at 10 AM.

All dates are listed, with a stream of Inheritors highlight "Renata," below...

March 24, 2015

Hudson Mohawke is releasing a new album called Lantern on June 16 via Warp which includes collaborations with a handful of big names, including Antony, Miguel and Jhene Aiko. The first single is a collaboration with a smaller name, Irfane who sang on Breakbot's "Baby I'm Yours." It's called "Very First Breath" and can be streamed, with the tracklist, below.

HudMo just played SXSW last week (photo above from his show at House of Vans at the Mohawk, two more below), and he's now announced more dates, including a NYC show. He comes here on May 28 at Irving Plaza. Tickets for that show go on sale Friday (3/27) at 10 AM with Live Nation, LN Mobile App, and Music Geeks presales starting Wednesday (3/25) at 10 AM.

March 20, 2015

Fool's Gold co-founder A-Trak has been in Austin for SXSW most of this week and plays his own label's showcase tonight (3/20). He'll hop on a plane tomorrow to NYC where he'll perform Saturday night (3/21) at Marquee, one of the big West Side bottle service megaclubs. Tickets for that show, in a myriad of permutations, are on sale.

A-Trak will stay busy, heading to Miami's Winter Music Conference next weekend and then hitting the summer festival circuit, hitting Governors Ball and others. All dates are listed below.

The 2015 Mutek festival happens in Montreal from May 27 - 31 at venues around the city with a host of electronic artists, including Andy Stott, Atom & Robin Fox, Anthony Naples, Basic House, Dasha Rush, Mika Vanio, Sherwood & Pinch, and more. Tickets and festival passes are on sale now, and you can check out the 2015 lineup as it stands now and highlighted schedule, along with a preview video, below.

March 18, 2015

If you'll be in Austin for SXSW this week, there's one chance to catch Brooklyn dance duo Teengirl Fantasy. They play the Moog Music / Switched On show at Elysium on Saturday (3/21) with Matrixxman, Patricia, Sevdaliza, Fielded and Marcel Dettmann (who plays NYC the next day). Tickets will be available at the door but badge/wristband-holders have priority.

What's the most essential thing to bring to Austin? Bring a fun but sort of masochistic attitude. SXSW is like a marathon.

...What's your favorite thing about South by? The festival signifies the beginning of spring. If you're coming from NYC, it's nice not to have to wear the heavy jackets you've been wearing and by the time you come back, it's a little warmer already.

March 16, 2015

The first-ever US installment of electronic music festival Mysteryland took place last year at NY's Bethel Woods Center for the Arts -- the first festival to happen there since the original Woodstock. The festival returns this year on Memorial Day Weekend, May 22-25 with Diplo, Skream, Matthew Dear, Classixx, Dillon Francis, Empire of the Sun, Giraffage, iLoveMakonnen, Moon Boots, Psychemagik, Sweater Beats, Perseus, Goldroom, Bondax, Anna Lunoe and more. Tickets are on sale now. Full lineup below.

Meanwhile, Giraffage plays NY much sooner. This week actually, at Output on Thursday (3/19). Tickets are on sale.

March 13, 2015

Hundred Waters are wrapping up their tour with Mitski playing shows in their former Florida home this weekend (the band recently relocated to LA) and finishing in Austin for a couple appearances at SXSW, playing the Pitchfork party at Mohawk on March 19 with Migos, Vince Staples, Waxahatchee, Title Fight and more, and then the We Are Family Showcase on March 21 with Emprss, Jacuzzi Boys, Phantoms, HO99O9 and Kodak To Graph. All dates are listed below.

In anticipation of the We Are Family showcase, Hundred Waters made a mixtape with some of the other bands on the bill, as well as former tourmates, including Braids, Julianna Barwick, Kodak to Graph, Aphex Twin and more. Says the band's Zach Tetreault:

while making this, i couldn't help but think of the people who have been such a real part of my life this past year. those i've grown along side of, toured with, been endlessly inspired by... and also those i've never met, but whose music has continuously helped me to exist and feel alive. it starts with one of my favorite people and producers, kodak to graph. the song 'los angeles' comes off his new record and is something of a reactionary piece to his transition from florida to los angeles, full of hope and wonderment. having just made that same move ourselves, the song hits home. kodak, mas ysa, moses sumney, braids are all in this mix for a reason. all are dear friends and previous tour mates and all make beautiful honest music to crawl deep inside of and discover new things with every listen. i've fallen deeply in love with all of these humans and their art. jacques greene and nujabes. these 2 in particular have sound tracked everything from our pre show vibe to dozens of bug eyed car rides after swimming down florida rivers on lsd. forever classics. julianna barwick, bing and ruth, andy stott. these artists have done more for me than words can describe. the brief lull in the mix where these songs get to peak through is most likely a subconscious representation of the moments of personal reflection and meditation in my own insane touring life that i cherish so much. the moments alone in the back of the tour bus when i can dim the lights, close my eyes, and listen to music. anyhow, i'm rambling. hope you enjoy this.

The mix makes its premiere in this post and you can stream it below or download it for free via WeTransfer.

The Braids track, "Taste," is from their new album, Deep In The Iris, and you can stream that separately below as well.